Canadian
PM refuses to withdraw criticism of Saudi human rights record

Aug
9, 2018

Canadian
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his country will not withdraw its criticism
of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, rebuffing a call by the kingdom’s
foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir.

The
Canadian PM made the remarks at a Wednesday press conference in Montreal,
stressing that his country will “speak strongly and clearly” wherever it sees
the need on questions of human rights.

His
comments came shortly after Jubeir told reporters in Riyadh that Ottawa must
recant its criticism of Riyadh’s decision to imprison two Saudi women’s rights
activists if it seeks reconciliation with the kingdom.

The
criticism had been raised last week by Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia
Freeland, who condemned the Al Saud regime for detaining Nassima al-Sadah and
Samar Badawi, the latter of whom has family ties to Canada.

Trudeau
told the presser that his country always maintains constructive and positive
ties with other nations across the world, but at the same time it must ensure
human rights concerns are brought up.

That
is “because Canadians expect that, and indeed people around the world expect
that leadership from Canada,” he noted, stressing that his country will
continue to stand up for human rights in all parts of the world in a “polite
and constructive” way.

The
US, which claims to be an advocate of human rights in the world, has yet to
support Canada in its tension with Saudi Arabia. However, Trudeau said he
cannot “impose on other countries what their responses and reaction should be.”

He
added that he “respects the rights of other countries to speak for themselves.”

The
Riyadh-Ottawa diplomatic brawl has already led to the expulsion of the Canadian
ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and recalling of the Saudi envoy from Canada.

Saudis
have also suspended all flights to and from the North American state, halted
their trade with the country, and ordered its students studying in Canada and
patients receiving treatment there to go elsewhere by the next month.

KARACHI:
Pakistan plans to borrow more than $4 billion from the Saudi-backed Islamic
Development Bank (IsDB) as part of its attempts to restore dangerously low
stocks of foreign currency, reported The Financial Times on Thursday.

Two
officials told the daily that the Jeddah-based bank had agreed to make a formal
offer to lend Islamabad the money when Imran Khan took over as prime minister.
They added that they expected Asad Umar — Mr Khan’s proposed finance minister —
to accept the offer.

“The
paperwork is all in place,” said one senior adviser in Islamabad. “The IsDB is
waiting for the elected government to take charge before giving their
approval,” the report quoted the official as saying.

The
official added that the loan would not cover Pakistan’s expected financing gap
of at least $25bn during this financial year but was “an important
contribution”.

Speaking
to reporters in Islamabad this week, Mr Umar had warned: “The situation is
dire. We’ve got 10bn dollars of central bank reserves, [and] we’ve got
somewhere between $8bn and $9bn in short-term liabilities, and therefore your
net reserves are close to nothing.”

As
per the newspaper report, officials have already drawn up plans to borrow up to
$12bn from the International Monetary Fund — though such a bailout is likely to
come with strings attached, such as a demand to see the details behind billions
of dollars’ worth of Chinese loans.

Mr
Umar, it added, was therefore exploring what other options remained open to
him, of which the IsDB loan was one. Officials said the loan would be used
mainly to pay for oil imports, with higher crude prices having contributed to
the country’s problems. One official at Pakistan’s central bank — who has been
involved in negotiations with the IsDB — said the loan had the backing of the
Saudi government, “which wants to play a part in rescuing Pakistan from its
present crisis”.

Despite
the promise of money from the IsDB, economists warn that Mr Khan’s government
will still have to enact potentially unpopular spending cuts and tax rises to
help repair the government’s balance sheet.

“The
budget deficit shot up to about 7 per cent of gross domestic product during the
last financial year,” Waqar Masood Khan, a former finance ministry official
told FT. “Bringing that down to the target of 4 per cent is not going to be
easy,” the report added, quoting the official.

Mangaluru
(Karnataka): The inaugural programme of the Post Graduate Diploma in Applied
Islamics was organised at Yenepoya University, Mangaluru (Karnataka) on 9th
August 2018 at 10 am. The programme has been initiated by Chair in Islamic
Studies and Research under Dr. Javed Jamil.

Inaugurating
the programme Mohamood Madani, General Secretary Jamiat e Ulema Hind, described
it as the ‘need of the time ‘and stressed that Islam is meant for the welfare
of the whole humanity. He praised the syllabus of the proposed course and described
it as an ideal which will be followed by the whole world in future.

Chief
Guest, former Minister of Minority Affairs, Rahman Khan lauded the efforts of
Dr. Javed Jamil on presenting a new holistic vision, and congratulated
Chancellor Abdulla Kunhi for taking the initiative.

He
said that “the concept of Applied Islamics is wonderful” and if Muslims learn
its essence, a new evolution in Islamic studies will be witnessed.

Guest
of Honuor Ziaulla Sheriff stressed upon the students to work hard and to be familiar
with all the aspects of life.

Introducing
the course Dr. Javed Jamil said that all the religions need to come together on
the basis of religious morality and not fight on the basis of religious
identity.

He
said that the principles of Islam can be applied in fields like Health
Sciences, Social Sciences and National Sciences for the benefit of the whole
world. He stressed that one should not study Islam in the light of modern
sciences, but study the modern sciences in the light of Islam.

Vice
Chancellor Dr. M. Vijayakumar gave thr introduction of Yenepoya University
saying that PG Diploma in Applied Islamics is the 100th course started by the
University.

Chancellor
Y Abdulla Kunhi expressed his delight at the inauguration of the course. He
said that the varsity's ultimate aim is to establish a big International centre
of Applied Islamics

Postgraduate
Diploma in Applied Islamics, the course inaugurated today, is a unique course,
first of its kind in the world, which will focus on Islamic analysis of the
scientific and social developments in the modern world.

About
Applied Islamics

Applied
Islamics refers to the study of the application of Islamic Principles in the
modern fields of knowledge like Law, Natural Sciences, Health Sciences and
Social Sciences including Economics and Philosophy.

It
comprises of the analysis of the modern theories in different fields in the
light of Islamic principles and the development of the alternative
terminologies, definitions, methodologies, indices, programmes, policies, models
and paradigms consistent with Islamic teachings with an aim of helping a
cleaner, healthier and more peaceful world.

While
subjects like Theology, Arabic and Islamic History are being taught in other
places as well, it is the subject of Applied Islamics, which gives this course
a very special place. It introduces an interdisciplinary approach.

Under
the course, chapters on India’s Constitution and the importance of its Secular
and Democratic values and the international institutions will also be covered.

It
will also have Comparative Religion as part of its course and will work for the
coming together of all religions and religious communities on the basis of
common religious morality rather than fighting each other on the ground of
religious identity.

Three
members of UK grooming gang face possible deportation to Pakistan

AUGUST
10, 2018

Three
members of a Rochdale grooming gang face possible deportation to Pakistan after
Court of Appeal judges upheld a decision to strip them of their British
citizenship, The Guardian reported on Wednesday.

They
had acquired British citizenship by naturalisation.

Abdul
Aziz, Adil Khan and Qari Abdul Rauf were among nine men of Pakistani and Afghan
descent convicted of luring girls as young as 13 into sexual encounters using
alcohol and drugs. They were based in Rochdale, in northern England.

The
three men were jailed in May 2012 but were later released on licence. The
gang’s ringleader, Shabir Ahmed, was sentenced to 22 years in jail and remains
in custody.

Aziz,
Khan and Rauf were convicted on conspiracy and trafficking for sexual
exploitation charges. Aziz was not convicted of having sexual intercourse with
any child.

The
case centres on a decision by Prime Minister Theresa May, when she was home
secretary, to strip the men’s citizenship “for the public good”.

The
men had challenged the government decision at two immigration tribunals,
arguing revoking their citizenship would violate their human right to a family
life, as they have children living in the UK. Their appeals were dismissed.

The
convicts then approached the Court of Appeal, senior judges of which ruled on
Wednesday that the previous tribunals had made a “proper and lawful assessment”
of the likelihood of deportation. A person can be deprived of British
citizenship for the public good on the grounds of “involvement in terrorism,
espionage, serious organised crime, war crimes or unacceptable behaviours”.

After
serving their sentences, the three convicts will have a further legal right to
appeal their deportation and the process could take months, according to the
BBC.

It
quoted a Home Office spokeswoman as saying: “This was an appalling case. We
welcome the court’s finding and will now consider next steps.” The five victims
of the gang who gave evidence in the 2012 trial were all white, and spoke of
being raped, assaulted and traded for sex, being passed from man to man, and
sometimes being too drunk to stop the abuses. The men, ranging in age from 22
to 59, used various defences, including claiming the girls were prostitutes.

Bangladesh
terror groups Jamat ul-Mujahideen (JMB) and Ansar ul Bangla Team (ABT) are
planning to recruit in India, set up hideouts and procure weapons for terrorist
activities in the country. These groups are also making efforts to established
contact with radical Islamic groups in India with a view to widening their
network. Disclosure of some arrested ABT cadre revealed that outfit has set up
an organised network of radicalised local village youth in Assam and West
Bengal.

The
arrest of JMB terrorist and mastermind of Bodh Gaya blast Zahidul Islam
revealed before NIA that JMB terrorists are planning to fight against Myanmar
army in the Rakhine state of Myanmar. NIA recently arrested two accused
including the mastermind of the Bodh Gaya blast. The arrested accused were
involved of planting of IED at Kalchakra Maidan, Bodh Gaya, Bihar this year in
January.

The
arrested accused Zahidul Islam alias Kausar and
Adil of West Bengal revealed that they were also planning to attack
Myanmar by setting up JMB base in India. .Zahidul Islam is a Bangladeshi
citizen and most wanted accused in serial blast cases in Bangladesh. He was also found involved in Trishal Police
van attack in Bangladesh. He was sentenced to 95 years of imprisonment in total
by the Bangladeshi courts and one murder case is still pending trial against
him. In 2014 he escaped from custody in Bangladesh and illegally entered into India.
He was part of JMB module involved in the preparation of IEDs in Burdwan.

As
per the NIA sources, Zahidul Islam is the main bomb maker of JMB.He is an
expert in making bombs. The arrest of Zahidul is a big success for
investigating agencies. During the house search of Zahidul Islam, NIA team
recovered electronic devices including traces of explosive from his house at
Ramnagara, Bengaluru. Initial interrogation has also revealed that the group
led by Zahidul Islam planned to cause IEDs explosion at Bodh Gaya to avenge the
atrocities on Rohingyas in Myanmar.

Tahera
Rahman knew her road to becoming the U.S.'s first hijab-wearing Muslim
television reporter would be fraught with obstacles.

After
graduating from Loyola University Chicago her professors and colleagues would
ask if she would be willing to take off her hijab, a headscarf often worn by
Muslim women to cover their hair, to land a dream job in journalism. Her answer
was consistently a firm "No."

"My
boss said ‘that’s fine I respect your decision, but just know that you’re going
to get a lot of no’s,'” Rahman, 27, told Anadolu Agency.

And
indeed the daughter of Indian and Pakistani immigrants did face rejection time
and again, having her applications to newsrooms shot down in quick order, and
forcing a revaluation of her career path.

Rather
than directly seek a reporter position, Rahman chose to pursue a backdoor into
the newsroom.

She
eventually landed a producer position at WHBF-TV, a CBS-affiliated television
station about three hours west of Chicago, Illinois.

But
Rahman was not about to settle for a position behind the scenes. She was
determined to make her way in front of a camera, firing off applications to
internal openings as soon as she could find them, but was again met with the
repeated rejection her mentors foresaw, eventually facing a crisis of
confidence that only her mother could pull her back from.

Durdana
Rahman refused to let her daughter spiral into a void of despair, insisting
Tahara work even harder to meet her goals.

“I
wrote them an email, my bosses, and I said tell me how I can be the best
candidate, tell me what I need to do. And I kept working hard and then I
applied the third time and alhamdulillah I got the job, thank God,” she said.

She
first went on air Feb. 8 of this year, making history in the process.

After
her first broadcast the messages of support began rolling in from all across
the world, from Mexico to the Netherlands, she said. Perhaps just importantly,
Rahman has garnered the appreciation of those in her community.

She
said she received one such message from a man in Iowa who said "‘I’m a
father of two and I’m Christian, but any time you’re in Des Moines, I want you
to come have dinner with my family, because I want my daughters to know who you
are.”

"The
support has been amazing. I couldn’t have expected anything better, and I
couldn’t be more grateful,” she said.

Rahman
does not know where her career will lead, opining that it may lead to a job in
national or international news. Ultimately, however, she is keeping an open
mind.

"I
just want to be able to tell people's stories and make some kind of a
difference," she said. “It’s gonna be an adventure no matter what,
inshallah.”

An
anti-Islam organization has postponed a rally scheduled for Saturday after
drawing widespread condemnation from organizations and Toronto city
councillors.

The
World Coalition Against Islam, a Calgary-based far-right group, planned to
gather at Nathan Phillips Square for what would have been its first rally in
Ontario. It was set to mark the one-year anniversary of the Unite the Right
rally in Charlottesville, Va., where Heather Heyer, 32, was killed when a
far-right protester rammed his car into the crowd.

WCAI
posted a public statement on Facebook Thursday afternoon calling people
“snowflakes” for reacting negatively to the rally that was to fall the day
before the anniversary of the fatal Charlottesville car attack, which the group
says was a total coincidence.

“Due
to people being snowflakes about the Aug. 11 date coincidentally being on the
same day as Charlottesville last year and groups pulling out and there being a
Bollywood festival scheduled at Nathan Phillips Square, I have decided to
postpone the rally,” the statement read.

WCAI
had an active presence in Calgary, where they were denied permits by city
officials who cited the group’s “hateful” messages.

Councillor
Kristyn Wong-Tam, whose ward includes Nathan Phillips Square, called the Aug.
11 rally “a disappointing reminder that, as far as we have come as a society,
many still cling to violent prejudice.”

In
her statement, Wong-Tam condemned the group, who she says “reject the very foundational
values” of the country, but added that she stands by their “right to march and
protest.”

Mayor
John Tory also spoke out Thursday. “Hatred and acts of violence against any
identifiable group have no place in this city,” he said.

“City
staff assure me that no permit has or will be issued for any rally in Nathan
Phillips Square, regardless of when the hate rally is being organized for,” he
said in the statement.

Toronto
city council spokesperson Paula Chung said the group did not apply for a permit
to rally at the square, but didn’t need to. Protesters and counterprotesters
are both allowed to gather at the square, she said.

Several
groups also condemned the public appearance of WCAI. The Steelworkers’ Toronto
Area Council and the United Jewish People’s Order were organizing a
counterprotest in the same area.

The
National Council of Canadian Muslims, the Urban Alliance on Race Relations and
other community organizations had planned to hold a news conference Friday at
city hall to denounce the rally. The news conference has been cancelled in
light of the postponement.

In
a combined statement Thursday afternoon, the Muslim council and race relations
alliance “welcomed” the news that the rally had been rescheduled, but noted
that postponing the rally means it could still happen at a later date.

“While
we welcome the postponement of the planned rally, we note that the organizers
have indicated the possibility of rescheduling it for a future date. As such,
we will continue to monitor and alert our communities to any such event,” said
Ihsaan Gardee, executive director of the National Council of Canadian Muslims.

“The
planning of this event, which was due to fall on the first anniversary of the
racist, neo-Nazi gathering in Charlottesville, U.S., gave us all a disturbing
insight into what can happen when ignorance, racism and Islamophobia join
together with the intention of dividing our communities. It is critical that we
do not become complacent in our rejection of racism and other forms of hate,”
said Nigel Barriffe, president of the Urban Alliance on Race Relations.

The
Muslim council says it has recorded a “significant spike” in the number of
anti-Muslim hate crimes happening across the country — especially in the GTA.

Elliott
Broidy case: US judge calls for law to prosecute countries such as Qatar

9
August 2018

A
US federal judge has called on Congress to legislate a law that allows
prosecution of countries that carry out cybercrime targeting US citizens,
saying that the absence of such laws makes it impossible to consider the case
filed by Elliott Broidy against Qatar.

The
judge refused formally to consider the case
because of the lack of jurisdiction of the Court to hear cases in which
one of the parties is a sovereign state enjoying immunity, according to Wall
Street Journal.

But
the judge stressed in his decision a paragraph indicating that there is a
pressing need to legislate a law that allows the prosecution of states in view
of the repetition of these incidents in recent years.

However,
the judge said they would continue to look into such violations committed by
the individuals listed in the case.

TAOS,
N.M.: A prominent New York City Muslim cleric said on Thursday that he was
baffled by events leading to his grandson’s presumed death and the arrest of
his son and four other adult relatives on charges of abusing children at a
compound in New Mexico.

Siraj
WahHajj, a Brooklyn-based imam, spoke to reporters at his mosque, Masjid Taqwa,
a day after his son, two daughters, a daughter-in-law and a son-in-law were
charged with 11 felony counts of child abuse in New Mexico.

The
son, Siraj Ibn WahHajj, 39, also was charged with custodial interference in the
alleged abduction of his 3-year-old son, Abdul-Ghani WahHajj, last December
from the Atlanta home of the child’s mother.

The
search for the missing boy and his father ultimately led investigators to the
ramshackle compound on the outskirts of Amalia, New Mexico, north of Taos near
the Colorado border.

Eleven
children ranging from 1 to 15 years of age were found ragged and starving at
the compound last Friday after sheriff’s deputies raided it. They were placed
in protective custody.

The
imam, who was the first Muslim to offer a prayer before the US House of
Representatives, said he is the biological grandfather of nine of the children
in the case, including Abdul. Remains of a young boy believed to be those of
Abdul were found at the compound on Monday.

The
elder WahHajj said, without elaborating, that some of the children have said
they saw Abdul alive as recently as three weeks ago, adding, “One of them said,
‘Yeah, we buried him over there.’“

His
son, said by authorities to have been heavily armed when arrested, was taken
into custody with his brother-in-law, Lucas Morton. His wife Jany Leveille and
two sisters, Subhannah and Hujrah WahHajj, were detained and later arrested.

In
court petitions seeking to hold them without bond, prosecutors accused them of
training the children to use firearms to carry out school shootings, but no
related charges have been filed.

The
elder Siraj WahHajj said he has been cooperating with authorities in their
investigation and that he had not had direct communication with his son since a
search for him was launched after Abdul’s disappearance.

He
said he did not know what his son and daughters were doing in New Mexico or
what prompted them to go into seclusion, but he was anxious to get to the
bottom of a situation he described as “bizarre” and “weird.”

“As
far as my son and my daughters are concerned, I want to make sure they get good
legal representation. We want to find out what happened,” he said. “Even if
it’s against them. We stand in judgment. God stands in judgment against them,
and we stand on the side of truth.”

The
cleric recounted having a brief exchange with his daughter Subhannah at some
point through a go-between on Facebook. Subhannah later reached out to someone
in Atlanta saying, “’I need some food. We are starving.”

The
imam said he instructed that intermediary to “find out where we should send the
food.” He said once his daughter provided the location, “We gave it to the
police. That’s why the police came in.”

His
account dovetailed with a chronology given earlier in the week by Taos County
Sheriff Jerry Hogrefe, who said he obtained a search warrant for the compound
after police in Georgia got a plea about starvation from someone in the
compound and shared it with his investigators.

Full
report at:

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1353901/world

--------

Pakistan

Sindh
govt notifies Hindu marriage law

August
10, 2018

KARACHI:
The Sindh government notified on Thursday the Sindh Hindu Marriage (Amendment)
Bill 2018. The bill, moved by Pakistan Muslim League-Functional leader Nand
Kumar was passed by the assembly in March, earlier this year, to give couples
the right of ‘separation’ and allowing Hindu widows to remarry.

The
bill not only accords the right of separation to both the husband and wife, but
also ensures the financial security of the wife and children.

“Either
party to Hindu marriage, whether solemnised before or after the commencement of
this Act, may present a petition to the court praying for decree of judicial
separation,” the law states.

The
law also places a general ban of underage marriages among members of the Hindu
community. “The Hindu community had been protesting forced conversions and
marriages of underage girls. This law has banned the marriage of minors from
the Hindu community,” said Nand Kumar, adding that he had also moved a bill
against the forced conversions of members of religious minorities, but the bill
was gathering dust in the Sindh Assembly secretariat.

Referring
to past practices, Kumar said Hindu women were considered lesser mortals, who
were not even accorded the right to divorce before the enactment of this law.
“The amendment to this law is aimed at getting rid of old and outdated
customs,” he remarked.

Pakistan
Peoples Party chairperson Bilawal Bhutto and other party leaders also
felicitated the last provincial assembly’s lawmakers on the passage of the act,
which was ratified by the Governor last week.

Before
the passage of this law, there was no legal cover for Hindu marriages for the
past seven decades.

He
went on to say that “Pakistan always supports the sovereignty of states and the
principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other states. Both
these aspects are enshrined in UN Charter and are among the basic tenets of
international law, and the foundation of peaceful and friendly inter-state
relations.”

Saudia
Arabia and Canada have been embroiled in a diplomatic row ever since Canadian
Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland posted a demand for the Saudi government to
release women-rights activist Samar Badawi on social media.

Jamiat
Ulema-e Islam (F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Wednesday stated that they
would not accept ‘fake prime minister [Imran Khan]’ at any cost while demanding
resignations from officials of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) over their
failure to hold transparent elections. He was addressing protest rally outside
ECP headquarters.

However,
a portion of his speech raised concerns among the people of Pakistan as they
perceived him spewing hatred against the Armed forces as well as the country
itself. In the controversial part of his address, the JUI(F) chief can be seen
calling for the nation’s 71st Independence day celebration while also
threatening the Pakistan Army.

Blaming
it for bringing the PTI to power, Fazlu Rehman stated that such actions would
force them to be viewed as “Western agents” by him and his supporters. Such
language is mostly used by terror groups such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan
who spring from the same school of thought i.e. Deoband as the
Jamiat-Ulema-e-Islam.

ISLAMABAD:
Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) Police on Thursday said that a man suspected of being
involved in the Diamer school attacks and killed during a search operation
earlier this week, was a “high-profile Afghan-trained militant”.

Diamer
Superintendent Police (SP) Rai Ajmal in a report submitted to the Diamer deputy
inspector general (DIG) of police said that the suspect, Commander Shafiur
Rehman, was killed in an exchange of fire with the police.

“On
noticing the police raiding team, the accused opened indiscriminate fire that
resulted in the martyrdom of Constable Arif Hussain, while Head Constable
Karamat Ali sustained bullet injuries,” the report said. “In response to the
incident, police cordoned off the entire area and started a search operation,”
it added.

The
SP’s report further adds: “Three suspects identified as Fidaur Rehman, Faizur
Rehman and Saeedur Rehman allegedly involved in the attack were arrested
whereas, commander Shafi was killed during an exchange of fire.”

“A
criminal case was registered against Shafiur Rehman, Saeedur Rehman, Fidaur
Rehman, Ziaur Rehman, Basil, Nasirullah, Sher Khan and Muhammad Nasir,” the
report said, adding that efforts for the arrests of the remaining five suspects
are currently underway.

The
report also said that “unknown terrorists” had opened fire at the Darel police
station at 2am on Saturday night, to which “police effectively retaliated”.

A
case was registered against this incident, as well as against the blocking of a
road and firing at passersby by miscreants in Darel’s Phuguch area.

The
BJP government in Madhya Pradesh has asked its madrasas to hold a Tiranga rally
on August 15 as part of the Independence Day celebrations, and send videos as
“proof” to the Madhya Pradesh Madarsa Board.

The
circular issued by the MP government’s general administration department asks
the schools, on the other hand, to take out “morning processions” and does not
make it mandatory on them to send photos or videos.

The
circular, dated August 7, has titled the ‘Tiranga rally’ for madrasas under a
theme, Paigham-e-Mohabbat (message of love), with a competition of sorts
whereby the best rally, decided by the board based on the videos received,
would be rewarded.

A
similar Independence Day order issued by the state government for the madrasas
last year had drawn flak from members of the Muslim community who had raised
concerns over the directive, which appeared to suggest that the government
“doubted the community’s patriotism”.

“Every
madrasa has to hoist the national flag on Independence Day and take out a rally
to spread the message of love and brotherhood among people of different
communities. This year, we have asked the madrasas to invite people from all
communities to take part in the rally,” board chairman Syed Imad Uddin said.

He
said the order to shoot videos “has nothing to do with any evidence to prove
our patriotism”. “It is (being asked) so that the best rally could be judged.”

“On
the (board’s) Foundation Day (September 22), the best of the rallies will be
felicitated by chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan,” he added.

Activist
Upasana Behar, who works in the field of education, said such “discriminatory”
orders — one for the schools and another for the madrasas — “will only drive a
wedge between children of the two communities”.

“It
is bound to raise suspicion in the minds of students from the minority
community if their patriotism is under doubt. Independence Day and Republic Day
have always been celebrated in madrasas and schools but now the government
wants a proof. It’s really unfortunate,” she said.

A
Muslim husband wants to perform a ritual for his dead Hindu wife and a temple
society in a New Delhi Bengali-dominated neighbourhood has not allowed because
they believe the woman was no longer a Hindu after her marriage even as she had
not given up her faith.

Imtiazur
Rahman, who is based in Kolkata, lost her wife Nivedita Ghatak in the capital
after she suffered from multiple organ failure last week -- 20 years after the
couple married in accordance with the Special Marriages Act that allows inter-faith
wedding of couples irrespective of their individual faith.

Ghatak
was cremated as per Hindu rites at Delhi’s Nigam Bodh Ghat but the family could
not perform shradh -- a set of Hindu rituals performed for the deceased.

Rahman,
who works as assistant commissioner, commercial taxes in the West Bengal
government, said he had booked an August 12 slot at Kali Mandir Society in the
Bengali-dominated Chittaranjan Park after paying Rs 1,300 for the ceremony on
Aug 6. But he was later told by the temple society that his booking has been
cancelled “for obvious reasons”.

Ashitava
Bhowmik, the president of the temple society, told IANS that Rahman’s request
could not be taken up for “more than one reason”.

He
alleged that Rahman “concealed his identity” and made the booking in his
daughter Ihini Ambreen’s name “which doesn’t sound like Arabic or Muslim”.

Bhowmik
said “we got to know about his religious identity when a priest got suspicious
and asked him about gotra” -- the lineage which forms an important factor in
determining Hindu ancestry.

“Obviously,
he had no answers. Muslims don’t follow gotra system. His wife can no longer be
considered a Hindu after marrying the Muslim because a woman adopts the surname
and belief system of her in-laws and becomes a part of that society,” Bhowmik
told IANS.

Unapologetically,
he said, “It was done in keeping with and respecting the Hindu traditions and
rites.”

Asked
since it was the last wish of the woman, who followed the Hindu belief system,
Bhowmik said “who knows the man has some ulterior motive and could bring in
50-100 of his relatives inside the temple and start praying Namaz” there.

“What
will we do in that case? Should we allow that?” he asked.

Being
probed further that it was only the temple society’s hypothetical fear, Bhowmik
said if Rahman was too keen on performing the ritual of his wife he should do
that at his home.

“Why
insist on a temple in Delhi? Why doesn’t he do it at his home in Kolkata?”

But
Rahman countered the allegations saying faith was a personal matter for him and
it had never hurt his relationship with his “practising Hindu wife” as she
would perform any ritual the way she wanted and he would do it his way.

Conceding
one of the main demands of Opposition parties to ringfence the proposed law on
instant triple talaq against misuse, the Union Cabinet Thursday approved
inclusion of provisions that the complaint in such a case can only be filed by
the victim (wife) or blood relations, and that a magistrate can grant bail with
terms and conditions.

Under
the amendments cleared, a magistrate will have powers to grant bail. The woman
can approach the magistrate to seek subsistence allowance for herself and her
minor children, and can also seek custody of her minor children from the
magistrate who will take a final call on the matter.

The
Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017, introduced after
the landmark 3-2 verdict of the Supreme Court which set aside the centuries-old
practice of talaq-e-biddat or instant triple talaq in which Muslim men divorce
their wives by uttering talaq three times in quick succession, has cleared Lok
Sabha and is pending in Rajya Sabha where the government lacks numbers.

The
government will bring the amendments to Rajya Sabha on Friday, the last day of the
monsoon session.

When
the winter session of Parliament drew to a close in January this year, the fate
of the Bill hung in the balance. The matter of ringfencing penal provisions in
the Bill emerged as the central issue for some give-and-take to break the
stalemate between the ruling BJP and the Opposition over the Bill.

After
the session concluded, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha,
offered to agree to the penal provisions in the Bill, provided it was insulated
from outside interference and had a mechanism for subsistence allowance.

Announcing
the changes approved Thursday by the Cabinet, Union Law and Justice Minister
Ravi Shankar Prasad said the government did not want “anyone to misuse the law
while ensuring that justice is done”.

“The
Union Cabinet has approved amendments in the law relating to triple talaq. We
have proposed three changes. FIR will become cognizable only if the complaint
is filed by the victim, wife, blood relations, or relations by marriage. If any
outside agency or neighbour is initiating this process, it will not be
registered,” Prasad told reporters.

“It
has been made compoundable, that is, if the wife and husband desire to settle
differences, then the magistrate can compound the offence on appropriate terms
and conditions. Magistrate can grant bail after hearing the wife,” he said.

The
minister rejected arguments that the husband cannot be sent to jail since he
will not be able to provide subsistence to the divorced wife and children if he
is in prison. “If a husband is convicted in a dowry case or domestic violence
case also, he will go to jail. So why are such issues raised only in triple
talaq? Congress should clarify if it is sticking to vote-bank politics,” he
said.

Maintaining
that the government did not make the changes under pressure from anyone, he
said the decisions were taken in the interest of the people.

To
Sonia Gandhi, Prasad said: “You are not just the Congress leader, you are a
national leader too. You keep talking about the legacy of your family… Would
you stand for justice, honour and respect for women? Or would you continue to
oppose the Bill?”. He took a swipe at BSP chief Mayawati and TMC chief Mamata
Banerjee, saying votebank politics is more important for them.

BENGALURU:
The NIA has arrested another member of the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh in
the city, a day after the nabbing of the outfit's top leader Mohammed Jahidul
Islam, wanted in several terror cases, officials said today.

29-year
old Adil Alias Assadullah, a resident of a village in West Bengal's Murshidabad
district, was arrested near the Cantonment Railway station on August 7 in
connection with the bomb blast at Kalchakra Maidan in Bodh Gaya on January 19,
2013, a statement from the National Investigation Agency said.

He
was said to be the close associate of Jahidul Islam, who was arrested by an NIA
team from nearby Ramanagara.

Assadullah
was produced before an NIA special court which granted transit remand for being
taken to Patna.

Jahidul
Islam was the top leader of the JMB in India and wanted in the Burdwan blast
case and in many other cases in Bangladesh also.

He
was the mastermind in the Bodh Gaya case, the agency had said.

On
October 2, 2014, a blast had occurred in a house at Khagragarh in West Bengal's
Burdwan district in which a man identified as Sakil Gazi died on the spot,
while another named Sovan Mandal died in hospital.

Both
of them were suspected of having terror links.

The
NIA had alleged that the JMB members wanted to establish Sharia rule by
overthrowing the democratically-elected government in Bangladesh.

A
low-intensity blast was reported at a kitchen set up at a ground in the temple
town of Bodh Gaya on January 19, causing panic among devotees gathered to hear
the Dalai Lama's discourse.

NEW
DELHI: Ahead of the Independence Day celebrations, the authorities have seized
a huge cache of arms and ammunition from two places in national capital while a
suspected Bangladeshi terrorist was nabbed in Bengaluru.

According
to reports, a huge cache of arms and ammunition, including carbines and
cartridges, were recovered from two suspected arms peddlers in two separate
operations by the Delhi Police late on Thursday.

The
two accused have been identified as Mohammad Azimuddin Sheikh lias Azim, a
resident of Malda in West Bengal and Soyyam alias Aas Mohammad, a resident of
Shamli in Uttar Pradesh.

Sharing
details of the police action with media, Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, Deputy
Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) said, ''Soyyam was arrested from Singhola
village on GT Karnal road on Thursday while Azim was arrested earlier this week
from northwest Delhi.''

The
accused were involved in supplying arms to Delhi-based criminals for the last
four-five years, the official said.

With
just few days left to the Independence Day, the Special Cell of Delhi Police
has been keeping a tight vigil on the movement of arms suppliers and those with
suspected terror links. The recovery of the arms and ammunition leading to the
arrest of the two suspects is part of our vigit, the officer said.

''The
Special Cell has launched a drive against supply of illegal firearms in Delhi
from other parts of the country. Concerted efforts have led to busting of
several gun selling rackets and seizure of huge cache of
sophisticated/semi-automatic weapons,'' the officer said.

According
to the DCP, the teams of the Special Cell have successfully busted two
interstate gun-selling rackets with the recovery of large cache of arms and
ammunition from the accused.

Azim
was arrested by one of the teams of the Special Cell on August 6 following a
tip-off, he said.

Azim
along with Akil had come to deliver the huge consignment of illegal firearms to
Hazi Kayum in Delhi. Following specific inputs, a team laid a trap at the
vantage points near Tara Chowk, Dheerpur in northwest Delhi here, the officer
said.

Around
11.55 am, Azim was found waiting for Kayum, carrying two trolley bags. He was
subsequently overpowered and nabbed. From the trolley bags two automatic
sophisticated carbines, 38 pistols and 50 live cartridges concealed in clothes
and newspapers were recovered, the ACP said.

Another
team of the Special Cell nabbed Soyyam, a key member of arms supplier syndicate
of Kairana (UP) from near CNG station in village Singhola near GT Karnal road,
added the DCP.

Twelve
sophisticated .32 bore pistols and 19 magazines were recovered from his bag,
the DCP said.

During
interrogation, it came to light that after the police crackdown in Bihar's
Munger, the arms manufacturers have shifted their base to West Bengal and
weapons are being manufactured at different places.

The
weapons manufactured in West Bengal are being supplied in Delhi and its
neighbouring areas.

The
DCP said raids are being conducted to nab more associates of the arrested duo.

In
a related incident, the Army too seized a large quantity of arms and explosive
materials, including 7 firearms, 14 grenades and 401 rounds, during a search
operation in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on Thursday.

Army
troops discovered the weapons during a search operation in the Chapriyan-KP
Nala area of Mandi tehsil, a defence spokesperson said.

The
recoveries include four 9mm pistols with seven magazines and 31 rounds, four
carrying bags, one AK-56 rifle (with sling) along with three loaded magazines,
one 7.62mm rifle of foreign origin, one revolver, 14 hand grenades and one
AK-47 Bayonet, he added.

Meanwhile,
the National Investigating Agency (NIA) has arrested a suspected member of the
Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh in Bengaluru.

The
arrest was made a day after the NIA nabbed the outfit's top leader Mohammed
Jahidul Islam, wanted in several terror cases.

29-year
old Adil Alias Assadullah, a resident of a village in West Bengal's Murshidabad
district, was arrested near the Cantonment Railway station on August 7 in
connection with the bomb blast at Kalchakra Maidan in Bodh Gaya on January 19,
the NIA said in a statement.

He
is believed to be the close associate of Jahidul Islam, who was arrested by an
NIA team from nearby Ramanagara.

New
Delhi: The Muslim Women Protection of Rights Bill 2018, colloquially known as
the Triple Talaq Bill, will now have a clause that would ensure Muslim husbands
have a right to approach the court seeking bail after being arrested on charges
of instantaneous talaq.

During
the last Budget Session of the Parliament, when the bill was tabled in Lok
Sabha, there was a strong demand to refer the bill to a parliamentary select
committee. However, with a sizeable strength in the lower house, the government
had managed to pass the bill.

The
bill got stalled in the Rajya Sabha amid protests by the opposition. The
provision of bail was one of the biggest sticking points. In the tweaked
version passed by the Union Cabinet, the offence would stay non-bailable but a
judge can decide whether to grant bail after hearing out the wife.

Giving
instant triple talaq would still continue to be illegal and void and will
attract a jail term of three years for the husband. But the case can be dropped
if both sides agree, the new version of the bill says.

The
proposed law would only be applicable on instant triple talaq or
'talaq-e-biddat' and it would give power to the victim to approach a magistrate
seeking "subsistence allowance" for herself and minor children.

However,
the All India Muslim Personal Law Board is still not impressed with the
changes.

Board
member and legal counsel, Zafaryab Jilani, told News18 that there were several
other amendments that were demanded to be brought in and this amendment did not
"portray the true picture."

"Let
the bill be introduced in the Rajya Sabha. The bill is void in totality and
hence objections will remain but there were other specific objections made too
that have remained unanswered in the latest cabinet meeting," said Jilani.

Zakia
Soman, convener of Bhartiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, who was one of the key
petitioners in the case, told News18 that though this amendment was a welcome
change, but "there still exists others that is needed."

"Yes
the bail amendment is welcome but the provision which makes FIR registered by
anyone acceptable needs to be amended and it has to be only at the behest of
wife. There also needs to be a provision which states that a wife will have a
right over her matrimonial residence even though the husband is
penalised," said Soman.

Union
Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, who had tabled the Muslim Women (Protection
of Rights on Marriage) Bill, called it a “historic day.”

Saying
that the bill should not be seen through the prism of vote-bank, but from the
humanitarian side, Prasad said the bill was “not about religion but about
justice and respect for women.” He said that the bill was essential for gender
equality and dignity.

According
to the bill, a woman can also seek the custody of her minor children from the
magistrate who will take a final call on the issue.

The
bill was passed in Lok Sabha after the House rejected a string of amendments
moved by various opposition members. MPs from the RJD, AIMIM, BJD, AIADMK and
All India Muslim League had opposed the bill, calling it arbitrary in nature
and a faulty proposal.

Owaisi
was the strongest critic of the bill and had said that "dowry deaths and
other crimes against women did not stop even when specific laws were made
against these practices."

Ahead
of Independence Day celebrations, security agencies are on their toes after an
intelligence input was received that the nephew of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief
Masood Azhar and his younger brother Abdul Rauf’s former bodyguard have
infiltrated into India and are suspected to have set up terror modules in Delhi
and Srinagar.

According
to the input, accessed by The Indian Express, Mohammed Umer, son of Azhar’s
elder brother Ibrahim, infiltrated into Jammu and Kashmir in the last week of
May. In the same month, Rauf’s former bodyguard Mohammed Ismail is also learnt
to have entered Kashmir. Rauf is a key accused in the IC 814 hijacking which
led to Azhar’s release from captivity in India.

Worryingly,
Ismail was learnt to have visited Delhi immediately after infiltrating into
Kashmir and is now back into the Valley after, perhaps, setting up a module.
“Mohammed Ismail has also entered J&K in May 2018. However, he moved
towards Delhi, where he was asked to set up a module for a spectacular
operation,” the input said.

Confirming
his current location in J&K, it said, “As per latest input, senior
formations of JeM based in Pakistan have now located Mohammed Ismail in the
general area between Pulwama and Srinagar.”

Meanwhile,
Azhar’s nephew Mohammed Umer is learnt to be working on recruiting and training
youths in J&K, which has recently seen a surge in young men joining
militant ranks. According to the input, Umer has been “tasked to oversee
operational preparation and training of newly recruited Kashmiri youth inside
the Valley by staying for a period of six months”.

Security
agencies, in fact, have already had an encounter with Umer in which he escaped
and later took shelter near Pantha Chowk in Srinagar, according to the input.
Last month, a group associated with Umer had even snatched weapons from
policemen in Kashmir, the input said.

Intelligence
agencies have learnt that Mohammed Ismail is currently with Umer to execute the
outfit’s plans in Kashmir.

“The
presence of two extremely important and senior JeM Commanders in the Valley
closer to the Independence Day Celebrations and the ongoing Amarnath Yatra has
significant security implications,” the input said.

Following
the input, security forces across the country, particularly in J&K and
Delhi, have been asked to remain extra alert and watchful. All military and
central armed police camps in J&K have been asked to maintain tight
security around their camps and to be extremely vigilant. Suggestions have also
been made to increase the number of pickets and have more road opening
exercises in Kashmir, Home Ministry sources said.

A
new poll shows that more than a third of people in Britain view comments by
former foreign minister Boris Johnson on burqa, a full-body dress for Muslim
women, as racist.

According
to the results of the survey by Sky News, six out of ten people said it was
"not" racist to compare Muslim women wearing the Islamic veils to
“bank robbers” and “letter boxes ” as Johnson had designated, while just 33
percent of the respondents thought it was racist.

The
poll also suggested that 26 percent of Britons were against a ban on burqas,
while around 60 percent supported such a ban by the government.

The
poll was conducted after Johnson made the comparisons in an article for The
Daily Telegraph newspaper on Monday.

It
revealed that Britons remain split as to whether Johnson should apologize for
his remarks - 45 percent think he should do so, while the majority, some 48
percent, think he should not.

People
from the capital city London were the heaviest critics of Johnson, a man they
twice elected as London mayor, with over 50 percent saying he should apologize
for the Islamophobic remarks.

A
series of prominent Conservatives have called on Johnson to apologize,
including the Prime Minister Theresa May. A senior Tory Muslim peer, Lord
Sheikh, said Johnson should lose the Conservative whip if he doesn't make a
public show of contrition. This means that his ties with the Party would be
seriously downgraded.

“Take
the whip from him. Why not? He's not a superhuman being; he's a member of the
party. The party chairman, the prime minister has the right to take the whip,”
said Lord Sheikh.

The
Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), the UK's largest Muslim umbrella organization,
has also released a public statement condemning Johnson’s article.

“Boris
Johnson’s comments are particularly regrettable in this current climate, where
Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred is becoming worryingly pervasive with
disappointingly little action from this current government. Muslim women bear
the brunt of hate on the streets… We need responsibility and action from our
politicians, not pandering to the far-right,” it read.

The
MCB has been investigating incidents of Islamophobia within the Tory party and
has recently demanded an internal enquiry to be launched to root out
Conservative party Islamophobia.

So
far Boris Johnson has refused to apologize for the comments or admit any
wrongdoing despite Prime Minister May’s intervention.

The
Swiss government has promised to defend the economic interests of its companies
that are active in Iran and would be targeted by renewed US sanctions,
recommending that they go on with their business in the Islamic Republic.

“[The
government] recommends that companies pursue their commercial relations with
Iran and inform themselves about the situation,” said Fabian Maienfisch of the
State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) on Thursday.

The
comments came just a few days after the United States re-imposed a series of
sanctions on Iran that had been lifted as part of a 2015 landmark nuclear
agreement between the country and world powers. The decision came after US
President Donald Trump’s unilateral withdrawal from the pact, which is known as
the JCPOA, in May, despite statements by other parties to the deal, including
the Europeans, that they would remain committed to the agreement and would do
their best to protect their businesses from renewed US sanctions.

Maienfisch
said the Swiss government regretted the “deteriorating” situation regarding the
sanctions imposed by Washington on Iran but also insisted that it could not
force its businesses to resist US pressure.

“Switzerland
regrets that the sanctions situation in relation to Iran is again
deteriorating,” he said.

Some
European companies have announced that they would halt their activities in Iran
to avoid US punishments. Some others, however, have insisted they would remain
in the country.

Russia
has once again hit out at the US for re-imposing its unilateral sanctions
against Iran after scrapping the 2015 multilateral nuclear deal, describing it
as a "destructive step" that could destabilize the already-volatile
Middle East region.

Addressing
a news briefing on Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria
Zakhariva, said "Washington’s course at bringing down the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program and restoring
full-scale pressure through sanctions is absolutely destructive,"
referring to the Iran deal by its official name.

After
abandoning the JCPOA in May, the administration of US President Donald Trump on
Tuesday reinstated a series of unilateral sanctions targeting Iran's purchase
of US dollars, trade in gold and other precious metals as well as its
automotive sector. A second batch of US sanctions will be re-imposed on Iran in
November with the aim of undermining its oil exports and shipping sectors.

The
US president has also threatened punitive measures against the firms that
refuse to stop their business links with Iran when the American sanctions
return.

Washington's
move drew criticisms from Russia, China and the European parties to the Iran
deal -- France, Britain and Germany.

The
EU was quick to issue a statement in defense of the landmark accord, vowing to
fight the American sanctions and protect the firms working with Iran.

The
28-nation bloc has activated a "blocking statute" aimed to mitigate
the impact of American restrictive measures on European firms legally active in
the Iranian market. It has also warned that the firms that choose to abide by
Washington's bans may be slapped with European sanctions.

Zakharova
further said the Trump administration's measures would entail "long-term
deplorable consequences for global nonproliferation [of the weapons of mass
destruction] and will impart a destabilizing impulse to the situation in the
Middle East."

On
Tuesday -- when the US reintroduced its bans on Iran -- the Russian Foreign
Ministry released a statement and criticized the US for violating UN Security
Council Resolution 2231 that endorsed the Iran deal.

“We
denounce any unilateral sanctions in circumvention of the UN Security Council
decisions, all the more so if they have exterritorial applications and affect
the interests of third countries, as is the case with the current US
restrictions against Iran," the statement said.

Russia
has vowed to reinforce its relations with Iran in all sectors now that the US
has left the accord and chosen to build up economic pressure on the Islamic
Republic.

Vladimir
Yermakov, Director General of the Department for Nonproliferation and Arms
Control at Russia’s Foreign Ministry, had said in early May that with the US exit
“it might even be easier for us on the economic front, because we won’t have
any limits on economic cooperation with Iran."

Switzerland
criticizes US bans on Iran

Meanwhile,
Switzerland on Thursday expressed regret over the "deteriorating
situation" in the aftermath of Washington's renewal of economic pressure
against Tehran.

It
also recommended Swiss firms to continue their business ties with the Islamic
Republic despite the return of US bans.

"US
decisions on sanctions do not affect the legal situation in Switzerland with
regard to Iran," said Fabian Maienfisch of the State Secretariat for
Economic Affairs (SECO).

More
than seventy militants including foreign insurgents hailing from Pakistan were
killed during the latest clashes in southeastern Paktia province of
Afghanistan.

The
203rd Thunder Corps of the Afghan Military in the Southeast said the militants
were killed or wounded during separate clashes in Aryoub Zazai and Ahmad Khel
districts.

According
to a statement released by the Thunder Corps, a large number of militants
launched coordinated attacks on Sikandar Khel, Tarkan, Khair Mina, and Hasti
areas of Aryoub Zazai and Ahmad Khel districts.

The
statement further added that the militants were equipped with heavy weapons
including mortars and Dshk heavy machine guns but the Afghan forces responded
to the attack, leaving at least 25 of them dead and at least 40 others wounded.

Several
Pakistani militants were also among those killed and their dead bodies are
still left in the area, Thunder Corps added.

In
the meantime, Thunder Corps said at least 3 militants were killed and 4 others
were wounded during a separate clash in Zurmat district.

Heavily
armed Taliban fighters attacked Ghazni city in central Afghanistan early on
Friday, shelling houses and business areas and gaining control of parts of the
city center, officials said.

The
attack on a strategic city straddling the main route between the capital Kabul
and southern Afghanistan demonstrated the Taliban's strength amid increased
speculation about a possible ceasefire during the Eid religious holiday this
month.

Officials
said clashes between government forces and the Taliban started overnight,
forcing authorities to close the highway linking it to Kabul, 150 kilometers
(95 miles) to the northeast.

“The
Taliban are dropping missiles near residential and commercial areas. There has
not been a single minute of silence for the last eight hours,” said a senior
government official in Ghazni.

A
second government official said it was too dangerous for people to leave their
homes and he had no immediate details on casualties.

“It
is not possible to get out of our homes to help the injured or collect bodies,”
he said.

Taliban
spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said parts of the city had been seized by the
Taliban and many people were killed.

The
attack on Ghazni followed a similar assault on Farah in May, when insurgents
came close to overrunning the city in western Afghanistan.

YANGON,
Myanmar: Myanmar sharply rejected an attempt by the International Criminal
Court to consider the country’s culpability for activities that caused 700,000
minority Rohingya Muslims to flee to Bangladesh for safety last year.

The
office of the nation’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, said in a statement posted
online Thursday that the court in the Netherlands has no jurisdiction over
Myanmar because it is not a member state.

It
also offered procedural reasons for why it would not respond formally to the
court’s request for its views on the exodus of the Rohingya, and said the
question “is meritless and should be dismissed.” The ICC did not immediately
respond to an Associated Press request for comment.

Critics
including UN experts have accused Myanmar’s military of atrocities against the
Rohingya amounting to ethnic cleaning, or even genocide. Suu Kyi’s government
says it was carrying out justifiable counterinsurgency operations in response
to attacks on security forces by Rohingya militants in August last year.

The
army, according to documentary evidence and survivor and eyewitness accounts
compiled by human rights organizations, beat and killed civilians, organized
rapes and the burning of thousands of homes belonging to Rohingya in Myanmar’s
western state of Rakhine.

The
ICC had solicited Myanmar’s views in April, and later set a July 27 deadline
for a response to the question of whether the court should have jurisdiction.

Myanmar
accused the court of violating international legal norms by seeking to assert
jurisdiction over the issue despite Myanmar not being a party to the Rome
Statute establishing the court.

“By
allowing such a contrived procedure, the ICC may set a dangerous precedent
whereby future populistic causes and complaints against non-State Parties to
the Rome Statute may be litigated at the urging of biased stakeholders and
non-governmental organizations and even then, selectively based on the
political current of the times,” it said.

The
statement also referred to several proceedings carried out by the court that it
called irregular or not allowed under its own rules, including alleged “lack of
fairness and transparency.” It also mentioned its agreements to have Rohingya
repatriated from Bangladesh, though such action has yet to be implemented and
the UN has criticized Myanmar for delays.

The
Rohingya have long faced severe discrimination and were the target of violence
in 2012 that killed hundreds and drove about 140,000 people — predominantly
Rohingya — from their homes to camps for the internally displaced, where most
remained until last year’s violence.

Full
report at:

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1353906/world

--------

Taliban
launch major attack on Afghan city, casualties: officials

August
10, 2018

Taliban
militants have launched an attack on an Afghan provincial capital and heavy
fighting is under way as security forces try to beat them back, with terrified
residents cowering in their homes amid explosions and gunfire.

At
least one Afghan soldier has been killed and seven others wounded in the
fighting in the southeastern city of Ghazni, provincial governor spokesman Arif
Noori told AFP on Friday.

Civilian
houses and army checkpoints have come under mortar attack and the bodies of
dozens of Taliban fighters are in the streets, he added.

The
Taliban began the attack late Thursday from several positions around the city,
provincial police chief Farid Ahmad Mashal told AFP.

Residents
who spoke to AFP said power has been cut to the area for hours since fighting
erupted, with heavy gunfire ringing out across the city and a government
building set on fire.

"We
are scared for our life. The Taliban are roaming everywhere in and around the
city," shopkeeper Mohammad Haleem told AFP.

Another
resident, Yasan, said the Taliban were using loudspeakers at the mosque to warn
residents to stay in their homes.

"Heavy
explosions and gunfire can be heard. We are terrified," Yasan wrote in a
Facebook post.

Police
special forces have been deployed to help block the Taliban advance on the
city, an Afghan security official said.

The
Taliban issued a statement claiming to have captured "most of government
buildings inside the city".

"So
far 140 enemy forces have been killed or wounded," the group said.

The
Taliban frequently exaggerate their battlefield gains and downplay losses
incurred during fighting.

Growing
pressure

It
was the latest in a series of attempts by the Taliban over the past three years
to capture urban centres.

Afghan
forces have been struggling to hold back the resurgent militant group since the
withdrawal of NATO combat forces at the end of 2014.

In
May the Taliban attacked the western city of Farah. After a day of intense
fighting, Afghan commandos and US air strikes drove the group to the outskirts
of the city.

The
attack on Ghazni comes as the Taliban faces growing pressure to agree to peace
talks with the Afghan government to end the 17-year war.

It
has so far ignored President Ashraf Ghani's offer of unconditional peace
negotiations.

The
Taliban has long insisted on direct talks with the United States. Washington
has repeatedly refused, saying negotiations must be Afghan-led.

But
there are tentative signs that diplomatic efforts to kick-start talks are
starting to bear fruit.

Washington
indicated a change in its longstanding policy in June when US Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo said the United States was prepared to "support,
facilitate and participate" in talks.

Pompeo
also said the role of foreign forces in Afghanistan would be on the table.

Last
month Taliban representatives met US officials for talks in Qatar.

Anticipation
has also been mounting about the possibility of a government ceasefire
announcement for the Islamic holiday of Eid-al Adha later this month.

A
Bangladeshi national, working with Jamat-e-Islami foundation of Bangladesh, was
arrested by troopers of the Border Security Forces (BSF) in Meghalaya,
officials said on Thursday.

Md
Jaharul Islam, 26, was arrested on Wednesday from the Zero Line of the
India-Bangladesh border at Baghmara in South Garo Hills district.

During
questioning, a BSF statement said, Islam revealed that he worked for Jamat-e-Islami
foundation and wanted to become a Jihadi. He works for an international forum
called SEBDA Children Denmark.

"Islam
was not satisfied with the policy of Bangladesh's ruling Awami League
government. He revealed that he wanted to become Jihadi due to torture
inflicted upon him by some Awami League members. He is a supporter of
Bangladesh Nationalist Party," the statement said.

At
least twelve people including children were killed or wounded in a suicide
attack in Herat city, the provincial capital of western Herat province, the
local officials said.

The
incident took place this evening in the vicinity of the 1st police district of
the city after a suicide bomber detonated his explosives near a military
compound used which was previously used by the Afghan National Army.

A local
official confirmed that the blast has taken place close to the former military
compound in the vicinity of the 1st police district of the city at around 5:30
pm local time.

Provincial
governor’s spokesman Jilani Farhad confirmed that two children were killed and
ten other civilians were wounded in the attack.

He
said the death toll could further rise as at least four wounded civilians are
in critical condition.

No
individual or group has so far claimed responsibility behind the incident.

Local
authorities have been pushed to delay plans to demolish a new mosque in
northwest China after a rare protest by hundreds of Muslims from the ethnic Hui
group on Thursday.

The
huge crowd gathered from noon until late in the night in the square outside the
Weizhou Grand Mosque, an imposing white structure topped with nine onion-shaped
domes, crescent moons and four towering minarets, according to images seen
online.

The
local county head came to the mosque around midnight, urging everyone to go
home and promised that the government would not touch the mosque until a
reconstruction plan has been agreed upon by the townsmen, according to local
sources.

The
stand-off in the town of Weizhou in Tongxin county, in the Ningxia Hui
Autonomous Region, is the latest, and possibly largest, conflict in a recent
campaign to rid the region of what Beijing regards as a worrying trend of
Islamisation and Arabisation, as the ruling Communist Party doubles down to
“Sinicise religion”.

According
to a notice said to have been issued by the Weizhou government on August 3 and
shared online, the mosque’s management committee had been given a deadline of
Friday to demolish the building on the grounds it had not been granted the
necessary planning and construction permits.

If
the management committee failed to comply, the government would “forcefully
demolish it according to the law”, the notice said.

But
a source close to the Ningxia government said that after days of negotiation
between the authorities and religious leaders, it had been agreed earlier on
Thursday that the government would not demolish the mosque, but remove eight of
its domes.

The
offices of the Tongxin Party committee and local government could not be
reached for comment.

A
Weizhou resident, whose name the South China Morning Post is withholding out of
concern for his safety, said on Thursday that he had heard about the
alternative plan, but that many Muslims did not want to see the domes removed.

“Now
we’re just in a stand-off,” he said. “The public won’t let the government touch
the mosque, but the government is not backing down.”

Construction
of the new mosque was completed last year. It replaced an earlier one that, in
turn, had been built to replace Weizhou’s 600-year-old Chinese-style mosque,
which was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution along with thousands of
other temples, churches and monasteries across the country.

The
government’s order sparked an outcry in the Hui Muslim community, with many
people questioning why the authorities did not stop construction of the mosque
– which took two years to complete – if it had not been granted the necessary
paperwork.

Video
footage seen by the Post showed police vehicles parked in the square, while on
the mosque more than 10 Chinese national flags fluttered in the wind.

Two
red banners had also been strung from the mosque’s exterior walls, one of which
read: “Resolutely support the Chinese Communist Party, defend ethnic unity,
safeguard the freedom of faith”.

Despite
the large numbers of people involved, the demonstration appeared to be
peaceful, and the Post had not received any reports of violence as of Thursday
evening.

The
Weizhou resident said that many Hui believed it was not the intention of the
Party’s central leadership to tear down their mosque.

“The
local government is not implementing the central government’s policies,” he
said.

Still,
the Weizhou government’s move was most likely a response to the Communist
Party’s call to “Sinicise religion” – a policy introduced by President Xi
Jinping in 2015 and intended to bring religious groups in line with Chinese
culture and the absolute authority of the party.

A
visit to Ningxia by a Post reporter in April found that Islamic icons and
Arabic signs had been removed from streets in towns and counties across the
region. While secular buildings appeared to have been the first targets, at
least two mosques had their domes removed earlier this year.

For
decades, China’s Hui Muslims have been largely left in peace to practise their
faith. Most of them speak Mandarin, and apart from the white caps and
headscarves worn by the more traditional members of the ethnic group they are
indistinguishable from the majority Han population.

But
as the government deepens its crackdown on Uygurs – another mostly Muslim group
in the western frontier of Xinjiang – the Hui are also being targeted.

Several
mosques in Nigxia have been ordered to cancel public Arabic classes, while a
number of private Arabic schools have been told to shut down.

In
2012, hundreds of Hui clashed with police in Tongxin as they tried to stop
their mosque from being demolished after it was declared illegal. Several
protesters were reportedly killed in the violence and dozens more were injured.

IPOH,
Aug 10 — Perak mufti Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria has praised Datuk Mujahid Yusof
Rawa for ordering the removal of the portraits of lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender (LGBT) activists from the George Town Festival.

In
a statement issued today, Harussani commended the minister in the prime
minister’s department in charge of religious affairs and that he fully
supported the move.

“Congratulations
and well done to the Menteri Agama(Minister who oversees Islamic Affairs) for
being brave enough to state the truth, and indirectly defend the credibility of
the Islamic institution,” Harussani said.

“LGBT
is an act which is mungkar (defying God’s laws) and it has been forbidden by
Allah whether it is done openly or privately.”

“LGBT
is also a condemnable act which contravenes the rights of a person, because it
denies the rights of a relationship through a marriage that is legal and recognised
by Islamic law.”

Harussani
also said the act of promoting LGBT icons in public was an effort to encourage
and recognise the ‘forbidden’ act.

Earlier
this week, Mujahid admitted that he had ordered the removal of portraits
depicting transgender activist Nisha Ayub and gay rights advocate Pang Khee
Teik at the festival.

He
said the portraits were “promoting LGBT activities”, adding that it was not in
line with Pakatan Harapan’s policies.

Nisha
is a transgender activist who has won many awards for her work including the US
Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award in 2016 while Pang is
the co-founder of Seksualiti Merdeka ― an annual human rights festival.

KUALA
LUMPUR: A constitutional law expert says there should be no issue over duplication
of roles between Putrajaya’s top advisory council and a similar council
announced by the Malay rulers recently. Both groups have been tasked with
reforming Islamic institutions.

In
fact, emeritus law professor Shad Saleem Faruqi of Universiti Malaya told
reporters today he believed there should be more than two committees to
spearhead the initiative.

“Some
people are asking why there are two committees but there is no harm in this.
Both committees have no power to make any decision. They merely make recommendations
to the federal government.

“The
CEP (Council of Eminent Persons) has appointed a body to do this, and so have
the Malay rulers recently. But that is their right. Let’s not make an issue of
the fact that we now have two committees for this. Let’s put as many heads
together.

“Neither
body has any executive, legislative or financial power. Let the government
decide and examine the constitutionality of their recommendations,” he said
after meeting the CEP at Ilham Tower today.

Shad
noted the process would be a long-drawn one, as the Attorney-General’s Chambers
would first have to take into account the legal considerations of both
councils’ recommendations.

Then,
it would have to be debated in both houses of Parliament.

The
Conference of Rulers recently agreed to the formation of a new special
committee for improving federal Islamic institutions in Malaysia, called the
High-level Committee on Federal Institutions of Islamic Affairs.

This
came on the back of another committee formed under the purview of the
five-member CEP previously, where several prominent Islamic scholars and
activists were similarly tasked with drafting a proposal on Islamic reforms.

A
source told FMT that a possible clash could take place between the two groups
in the near future, as one side or the other might not easily give way over the
suggestions.

Moreover,
one committee is seen as more powerful than the other as it is directly under
the rulers.

Shad
said there was a need for the true spirit of Islam, shariah and civil laws to be
enumerated in the new Malaysia, as well as the special position of the Federal
Constitution.

“This
country was built on compromises and compassion. It’s time to walk the middle
path of tolerance.”

Over
the years, leaders had questioned state Islamic authorities, especially the
Malaysian Department of Islamic Affairs (Jakim), over what was perceived as
their penchant for imposing a more rigid form of Islam in the country.

These
influential government religious officers had also been blamed for a spate of controversial
religious rulings as well as the banning of hundreds of books over the years
dealing with Islam.

Jakim
had also come under the microscope, with leaders from both sides of the
political divide calling for it to be dismantled, saying its powers were
against the constitutional provision that matters of Islam came under the
purview of state rulers.

Prominent
novelist Faisal Tehrani agreed with Shad that there was a need for an advisory
council to regulate Islamic affairs, whether it was under the rulers or
Parliament.

However,
the award-winning author, who has seven of his books banned in Malaysia, said
there had to be a diverse mix of advisers in the councils, including
historians, sociologists, scientists and Islamic experts.

Moderate
Muslims in Indonesia have launched a new civil society group to promote
interreligious tolerance in a country where religious and ethnic sentiments are
on the rise ahead of a presidential election in 2019.

More
than 200 people, including religious leaders such as Jakarta's Catholic
archbishop, as well as politicians, attended the Aug. 1 launch of the Said Aqil
Siroj Institute in Jakarta.

The
new non-profit organization is named after a prominent Muslim cleric who now
serves as chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Indonesia's largest Islamic
organization.

"His
thoughts and ideas highlighting tolerance, mutual respect, peace and
willingness to work together with people from different religious and ethnic
backgrounds have inspired the establishment of this institute. These are
important pillars for the existence of our diverse nation," Imdadun
Rahmat, the organization's executive director, said at the launch.

"This
institute has come about because of concerns among young people about problems
and challenges faced by our nation, especially the weakening of national unity as
a result of segregation based on religion, ethnicity and ideology," he
said.

He
said the organization would take up the same fight as similar organizations
including the Jakarta-based Wahid Institute, an organization that focuses on
the creation of peace and non-violence espoused by former Indonesian president
Abdurrahman Wahid, who was also a former NU chairman.

"Such
organizations need to expand to serve as 'shields' to protect our younger
generation from radicalism," he told ucanews.com.

In
near future, he said, the institute will share moderate Islamic teachings
through social media and conduct research, seminars and discussions.

Speaking
to reporters, Siroj said the institute would promote Islam Nusantara (Islam of
the Archipelago) as many people still don't have a clear understanding of it.

"Islam
Nusantara means an Islam which promotes cultural values that are dignified,
friendly and polite," he said.

"I
think Islam Nusantara is a solution to the wave of globalization which is very
radical and extreme.

"I
believe Indonesian Muslims can show people that they respect differences and
other cultures," he said.

Coordinating
Minister for Maritime Affairs, Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, said the launch of the
new organization comes at the right time.

"[Next
year] is the year of politics. Regional elections [held in June] ran
peacefully. Yet, we see that in some regions the issues of religion, ethnicity
and ideology were used to influence public opinion. We predict these issues
will grow ahead of the presidential election next year," he said.

Ahmad
Sarji: New panel will study effectiveness of Islamic institutions

August
9, 2018

KUALA
LUMPUR: The high-level panel established to look into federal institutions of
Islam has identified groups that it will invite to share input on these
institutions.

Its
chairman Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid said in a statement that the main focus of the
panel would be to review the administration of Islamic institutions, the basis
for setting up these institutions, their jurisdictions, and the effectiveness
of these institutions at the federal level.

“The
panel would have closed-door meetings, three days a week within three months
beginning August 2018, at the old Istana Negara.

“It
has identified target groups to be invited to provide relevant views and
inputs, based on the five clusters namely shariah and legislative, financial
and economic, management, education and dakwah,” he said.

Today,
seven members of the eight-member panel received their appointment letters from
the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal Syed Danial Syed Ahmad.

A
fellow at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, Dr Afifi al-Akiti, is the
deputy chairman while Syed Danial is its secretary.

The
other members are International Islamic University Malaysia’s former rector
Prof Dr Mohd Kamal Hassan, former Johor mufti Nooh Gadot and former
director-general of the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) Wan
Mohamad Sheikh Abdul Aziz.

KUALA
LUMPUR: Award-winning novelist Faisal Tehrani believes state fatwas, or
religious edicts, have violated his rights as an author and called on the
government to keep its word to propagate a secular version of Islam.

Speaking
after meeting with the Council of Eminent Persons (CEP) today, Faisal, whose
real name is Faizal Musa, said he believed fatwas were just “legal opinions”
and should not be gazetted to become part of state laws.

“I
had my books banned because I used certain words that supposedly offended some
people. All I did was quote people who had talked about Sunnah and Shia Islam
teachings. But, for that they said my writing was volatile.

“I
say fatwas can be violations of human rights. We need secularism in Malaysia
because in secular environments, religion flourishes better. It becomes a
healthier version of religion,” he said outside Ilham Tower today.

Seven
out of his 45 books have been banned in Malaysia by the previous administration
over allegations that they contained elements of Shia Islam, a school of
thought labelled as “deviant” by Malaysia’s Islamic authorities.

War
is a painful disaster, even if it is for national, defensive or religious
reasons. Many countries try to avoid it as much as it can to save its people
from its tragic consequences and preserve their homes from devastation and
destruction, along with spectre of thousands of dead, wounded, disabled and
homeless.

However,
Ali Reza Farqani, Iranian editor-in-chief of Arman newspaper, says his country
“needs a foreign war,” threatening Washington that pro-Iranian suicide bombers
would hit US bases in 112 countries in any possible war.

The
author repeated a slogan by the founder of the Iranian regime, Ayatollah
Khomeini in the 1980s, when he said that "war is a blessing" in
reference to the war between Iraq and Iran, which ended after Tehran was forced
to accept the UN resolution calling for a cease-fire between the two countries.

At
that time, Khomeini said that he had to submit to the resolution saying:
"I drink the cup of poison."

After
US President Donald Trump ordered US sanctions against Iran to take effect last
Tuesday, with will be further escalated to a more severe level on November 4,
Ali Reza Farqani, an Iranian media editor and editor-in-chief ‘Arman Press',
has written an article in which he expressed “the readiness of the Iranians to
fight the war against the United States of America.”

The
Washington Post reported at the end of last April that the Pentagon is working
on a plan to counter Iran’s expansion and destabilizing the Middle East through
Tehran’s support for armed groups in the region.

“The
US military will not face Iran directly, but it will use indirect means to
limit its expansion in Syria and Iraq,” General Joseph Leonard Votel, who heads
the US Central Command, was quoted as saying.

Ready
for war against the US

“We
are ready to wage a major war against the United States,” Farqani said in his
article. The writer described the war as “jihadist security.”

The
editor-in-chief of Arman Press believes that the call for war by Iran would
“change the perception of the military and American and Israeli politicians
toward the Iranians, and help to stop the talk about the military option.”

The
author attempted to interpret and interpret Iran’s call for foreign war as
being based on the origin of jihad, claiming that such a war would be between
two intellectual models. The first represented theism and the second was
humanism.

After
describing the details of the differences between the two trends, the hardline
Iranian media person issued threats against American officials and warned them:
“You have to understand that the next war will ensure the survival of the
Islamic Revolution of Iran and eliminate America completely and it will be a
war of solidarity for all Iranian Muslims.”

“The
Iranian dictionary does not include the word dictionary ‘defeat',” he claimed.

The
writer then tried to justify his call for war with America by resorting to the
interpretation of Quranic verses on his own, describing the Iranian side as the
holy party in this war and the other side in the Holy Land, claiming that Iran
is the “front of truth” in such a war.

After
a lengthy comparison between the Iranian and American soldier’s preferences and
the preference of the Iranian soldier for the other soldiers of the Muslim
countries, he addressed the Americans, threatening them with suicide operations
in different countries, saying: “America should know that if it entered into a
war with Iran, the Hezbollah youth will determine the area of the battlefield
far from Iran’s borders and within a period of less than 48 hours will launch
suicide attacks.

Threat
to rape Obama’s daughter

Ali
Reza Farqani was one of the former prime ministers of the government of former
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and former ruler of Kish Island in the Gulf,
where he left office after disagreements with Ahmadinejad’s government. He is a
member of the hardline Islamic movement in Iran and had threatened in his blog
to rape the daughter of former US President Obama if Syria was attacked by the
United States.

America’s
“weak points”, which he considered an easy prey for all the “peoples of the
world”, were to threaten to kidnap a member of the family of every minister,
ambassador and military commander around the world within one day, he said.

Ali
Reza Farqani is a member of the “Ammarioun” headquarters of the radical Iranian
pro-Iranian leader and reflects the views of the most extreme spectra in Iran.

Palestinian
officials have confirmed that the resistance movement Hamas and the Israeli
regime have agreed on a ceasefire mediated by Egypt to stop cross-border fire
in the Gaza Strip.

A
Palestinian official with knowledge of the ceasefire talks said Thursday that
the truce was to begin at 20:45 GMT. Israel did not formally comment on the
issue, but an Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, denied a
cease-fire had been reached.

Another
unnamed Palestinian official confirmed to Reuters the truce had been reached,
saying, "Egyptian efforts managed to restore calm between Palestinian
factions and Israel that will end the current escalation."

"Palestinian
factions will respect calm as long as Israel does," he added.

Earlier
in the day, Hamas deputy chief in Gaza Khalil al-Hayya said efforts to reach a
truce with the Israeli regime were at “an advanced stage.” He added that the
resistance movement would insist on its position that the Israeli blockade on
the Gaza Strip has to be lifted as part of any talks with Tel Aviv.

The
development comes after two days of Israeli aerial raids against at least 150
positions in Gaza.

The
regime in Tel Aviv says the airstrikes were launched after a long-range rocket
fired from the Palestinian coastal sliver hit an uninhabited area to the south
of the occupied Palestinian territories. Hamas has claimed responsibility for
the rocket attack, stressing that they were in retaliation for the killing of
two Palestinians by Israeli forces.

According
to medical officials, the Israeli regime’s airstrikes killed Enas Khammash, a
pregnant Gazan woman, and her 18-month-old daughter Bayan, as well as another
Palestinian.

Hundreds
of Palestinian mourners took part in the funeral for the woman and the baby on
Thursday in the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah.

Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas earlier urged the United Nations to stop Israel’s
latest aggression against Gaza, which has been under a crippling Israeli siege
for the past decade.

Egypt
and the UN intervened to broker the ceasefire and prevent Israel from launching
another war on Gaza after tensions escalated in recent weeks.

An
attack on a bus at a market in rebel-held northern Yemen killed at least 29
children Thursday, the Red Cross said, as the Saudi-led coalition faced a
growing outcry over the strike.

The
coalition said it had carried out a “legitimate military action”, targeting a
bus in response to a deadly missile attack on Saudi Arabia on Wednesday by
Huthi rebels.

Coalition
spokesman Turki al-Maliki told AFP that claims by aid organisations that
children were inside the bus were “misleading”, adding that the bus carried
“Huthi combatants”.

The
International Committee of the Red Cross said the strike hit a bus filled with
children at the Dahyan market in the Huthi stronghold of Saada.

“A
hospital supported by our team in Yemen received the bodies of 29 children
under the age of 15 and 48 wounded, including 30 children,” the ICRC said on
Twitter.

A
spokesman for the Red Cross in Sanaa told AFP the toll was not final as
casualties from the attack were taken to several hospitals.

The
Huthis’ Al-Masirah TV, quoting the rebel health ministry, reported that 50
people were killed and 77 wounded, “mostly children”, though it was not possible
to verify that toll.

The
Save the Children charity, quoting its staff, said that at the time of the
attack the children were on a bus heading back to school “from a picnic when
the driver stopped to get a drink”.

“Save
the Children condemns this horrific attack and is calling for a full, immediate
and independent investigation into this and other recent attacks on civilians
and civilian infrastructure,” it said.

–
‘Innocent children’s lives’ –

Both
the United Nations chief and the US State Department called for investigations
into the strike.

UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged an “independent and prompt” probe,
while State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the US is “calling the
Saudi led coalition to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into
the incident.”

“We
call on the parties to take appropriate measures to protect civilians,” Nauert
said.

Geert
Cappelaere, the UN Children’s Fund regional director in the Middle East and
North Africa, said the children were “reportedly under the age of 15”.

“Does
the world really need more innocent children’s lives to stop the cruel war on
children in Yemen?”.

Doctors
Without Borders (MSF) said “civilians continue to pay the highest price after
three years of war in Yemen, thousands of them have been killed, injured or
maimed”.

Footage
provided by the rebels’ Ansarullah Media Centre showed a number of wounded
children lying two to a hospital bed, while in a separate shot medics tended to
casualties in a crowded room.

The
coalition, which also includes the United Arab Emirates, intervened in 2015 to
try to restore the internationally recognised government after the rebels drove
it out of the capital Sanaa.

He
said the rebels have “ballistic missiles threatening our national security,
Saudi cities and villages on the border. The attack today was a follow-up
process to neutralise that threat”.

Earlier,
Maliki accused the Huthis of “recruiting child soldiers, throwing them in
battlefields and using them as tools”.

Saudi
Arabia shot down a missile fired by the Huthis on Wednesday, with debris
killing a Yemeni man and wounding 11 others, the coalition said.

The
missile was fired from the rebel-held Yemeni province of Amran towards the
Saudi city of Jizan, the coalition said.

–
Huthis ramp up missile attacks –

AFP
/ STRINGERA man transports a child to a hospital after he was wounded in a
reported air strike in Saada on August 9, 2018

The
Huthis have in recent months ramped up missile attacks against Saudi Arabia,
which Riyadh usually says it intercepts.

Wednesday’s
attack brings the tally to 167 rebel missiles launched since 2015, according to
the coalition, which that year joined the Yemeni government’s fight against
Huthi rebels.

On
August 2, attacks on a hospital and a fish market in the strategic rebel-held
port city of Hodeida killed at least 55 civilians and wounded 170, according to
the ICRC.

The
coalition denied responsibility for those attacks.

Aid
agency CARE International noted that Thursday’s strike came a week after the
Hodeida bombardment.

“This
latest air strike, only a week after the attacks on Hodeida city, demonstrates
a continued disregard for human life and suffering,” said Johan Mooij, the
agency’s country director in Yemen.

“It
is beyond cruel; innocent children’s lives have been lost.”

The
war in impoverished Yemen has left nearly 10,000 people dead and unleashed what
the UN describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

The
United Nations envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, last week told the Security
Council “a political solution” to end the Yemen war was “available” and that
the warring sides would be invited to talks on September 6 in Geneva.

Arab
Coalition: Many Houthi leaders killed in air raid on Yemen’s Saada

9
August 2018

A
senior source in the Arab coalition backing the legitimate Yemeni National Army
confirmed that a number of Houthi leaders were killed in the air raid launched
on Thursday morning on Saada.

The
source said that the air raid killed Houthi leader Ali Salah al-Fayee, who is
responsible for recruiting and training young children who are sent later on to
the battlefields, in addition to the killing of Muhammed Abdullah Sittin, one
of the most prominent trainers on weapons.

He
added that many others were wounded in the air raid, including sniper trainer,
who goes by the nickname Abu al-Ezz al-Marani.

Saada
operation is a legitimate military action

Earlier
in the day, the official spokesman of the Arab Coalition in Yemen, Colonel
Turki al-Malki, announced that the coalition launched an operation in Saada
against Houthi elements who fired a ballistic missile on Jizan in Saudi Arabia
on Wednesday evening.

The
spokesman of the coalition said that “the targeting that took place today in
the governorate of Saada, is a legitimate military action to target elements
that planned and carried out attacks targeting civilians yesterday evening in
Jizan that killed and wounded civilians.”

He
added that this operation was “implemented in accordance with international
humanitarian law and customary rules.”

He
added that the coalition targeted the Houthi militia members who were inside
the bus, pointing out that they are the planners and operators of the missiles
launch pads, warning that these elements hide among civilians.

Colonel
al-Malki said the coalition will take all necessary actions against the
criminal, terrorist acts of pro-Iranian Houthi militias, such as the
recruitment and placement of children on battle fronts and "using them as
tools to cover for their terrorist acts."

He
stressed that the Houthi leaders and terrorist elements responsible for firing
ballistic missiles and targeting civilians will be targeted as part of the
coalition efforts to prevent terrorist elements from harming regional and
international security.

Israel
launched air strikes on Gaza late Wednesday after dozens of rockets were fired
from the enclave into its territory, with injuries reported on both sides.

Earlier,
Al Arabiya news channel correspondent reported that more than 50 rockets and
shells were fired towards Israeli settlements in the Gaza vicinity.

Smoke
plumes could be seen rising from Gaza City following the military’s
announcement it was targeting “terror sites in the Gaza Strip”.

At
least two Palestinians were wounded in raids aimed targeting a Hamas base in
the southern Gaza Strip, the enclave’s health ministry said.

The
strikes came after two rockets that were launched from the coastal enclave hit
the town of Sderot, near Gaza’s northern border, police and the army said.

One
person was lightly wounded by shrapnel while several others were treated for
shock in Sderot, the United Hatzalah medical service said.

Sirens
were sounded in several areas close to the border with Gaza, warning residents
to seek immediate shelter, the Israeli army said.

“As
of now, 36 rocket launches were identified from Gaza towards Israel,” the army
tweeted.

The
majority of the rockets hit open areas while four were intercepted, it said.

Israel
says it holds Hamas responsible for the rocket attacks coming from the
long-blockaded coastal territory.

Israeli
television broadcast images of a house and cars that were reportedly damaged by
the rockets in Sderot.

Parts
of the town have been closed off and police bomb disposal units were at the
scene of the strikes, a spokesman for the force said.

The
strikes came after two fighters from the military wing of Hamas, which rules
Gaza, were killed by Israeli fire on Tuesday.

Hamas
warned Israel -- with which it has fought three wars since 2008 -- that it would pay for the attack.

The
escalation comes after the Hamas leadership convened for a rare meeting in Gaza
on Friday. The gathering had raised hopes a deal for a lasting truce with
Israel, with the backing of Egypt and the United Nations.

Clashes
along the Gaza border since the end of March have seen at least 160
Palestinians killed in Israeli firing.

A
high-level conference will be held in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Monday at
the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council
(GCC) to discuss political solutions to the Yemeni crisis.

The
event will be held under the sponsorship of Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid
bin Daghr and GCC Secretary-General Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani.

“The
conference will discuss several issues, including the 2011 GCC Initiative, its
mechanisms, the peaceful transition of power, the outcome of the National
Dialogue Conference and Security Council resolution 2216,” said Assistant
Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Negotiations at the GCC Dr.
Abdulaziz Abu Hamad Aluwaisheg.

It
will also discuss the UN efforts to end the Yemeni crisis through reaching a
peaceful solution based on the agreed terms of references and steps to complete
the initiative.

A
top Houthi commander and several militiamen were killed in a battle in the city
of Hodeidah during clashes with the Yemeni army in the al-Duraihmi governorate.

A
military source said that the commander was Mansour al-Soudi, also known as Abu
Hmeid, who leads what the source called “quick operations” by Houthi militias
in al-Duraihmi. He was killed along with several Houthi militiamen.

Meanwhile,
over 330 sheikhs and dignitaries from the Hajjah province held their first
conference on Wednesday, announcing their rejection of Houthi violations and
Iranian interference in their country.

Arab
coalition: Raid on Houthi missile launch site in Yemen complies with
international law

August
09, 2018

JEDDAH:
Airstrikes on a site in Yemen used by militants to launch missiles toward Saudi
Arabia were “legitimate,” the Arab coalition said Thursday, as it was confirmed
that a number of Houthi field commanders had been killed.

The
Saudi-led coalition said air raids on Saada in northwestern Yemen, a stronghold
of the Iran-backed Houthis, complied with international humanitarian laws.

Spokesman
Col. Turki Al-Malki said the military action was targeted at militants who
planned an attack with the aim of harming civilians, by attempting to launch a
missile toward Jazan in southern Saudi Arabia.

“The
targeting on Thursday in the province of Saada is a legitimate military
operation to target elements that planned and executed the targeting of
civilians last night in the city of Jazan,” he said.

“(The
operation) was carried in accordance to international humanitarian law and
customary rules, and the coalition will take all procedures against the
criminal and terror acts by the terrorist Houthi militia affiliated with Iran.”

The
attempted Houthi missile attack, intercepted by Saudi Royal Air Defense forces,
killed one civilian and injured 11 others in Yemen on Wednesday evening, Saudi
state news agency SPA and the coalition said.

Al-Maliki
said the missile was fired toward Jazan “in a deliberate way to target
residential and populated areas,” and explicitly violating international humanitarian
law.

Late
on Thursday, another ballistic missile fell inside Yemen after the Houthis
attempted to launch it towards Najran.

The
Houthis have launched a series of missile strikes on Saudi Arabia, including
Riyadh, over the past year.

The
spokesman said the Western-backed Arab coalition would continue to take all
measures to maintain regional and international security.

A
coalition source quoted by the Al Arabiya News Channel said that a number of
Houthi field commanders were killed in a raid on Thursday morning.

They
included prominent recruiters of young people in Yemen to fight on behalf of
the Houthis. The Iran-backed militia have a history of recruiting child
soldiers.

Full
report at:

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1353261/saudi-arabia

--------

Africa

Boko
Haram militants kill 17 Nigerian soldiers

August
10, 2018

KANO
- At least 17 Nigerian soldiers were killed in a fresh Boko Haram attack on a
military base in the country’s northeast, military sources told AFP Thursday,
the third assault on three different bases in less than a month.

On
Wednesday evening, heavily armed jihadists riding in trucks stormed and looted
weapons and vehicles from a military base in Garunda village in Borno State,
the epicentre of the Islamist insurgency that has been raging for nine years.

The
attack is the latest of a series of bloody Boko Haram assaults on military
bases in Nigeria, underscoring the continued threat the Islamists pose to the
region and putting the spotlight on the Nigerian government’s claim that Boko
Haram is “decimated”.

“Our
troops came under attack from Boko Haram terrorists in Garunda last night,” a
military officer told AFP.

“Unfortunately
we lost 17 troops, 14 others were injured while an unspecified number is still
unaccounted for,” said the military source, who asked not to be identified
because he was not authorised to speak on the incident.

The
source added that the militants looted weapons and vehicles before fleeing.

In
the past month, Boko Haram jihadists have launched two other major assaults on
military bases in the remote northeast region.

On
July 14, jihadists suspected to be loyal to Abu Mus’ab Al-Barnawi, who is
affiliated with the Islamic State group, attacked a base in Jilli village, in
neighbouring Yobe state.

Dozens
of troops were killed, wounded or missing, according to several security
sources.

The
army conceded the base was attacked but did not give a death toll, saying that
the “troops reorganised and successfully repelled the attack and normalcy has
since returned to the area”.

On
July 26, the Islamists stormed a base on the outskirts of Maiduguri, the state
capital of Borno state.

The
base attacked yesterday in Garunda village of Borno state had just been set up
for troops from the 81 brigade who had been stationed in Jilli village and
forced to move after the July 14 assault.

“The
truth of the matter is that the troops in Jilli were relocated to Garunda where
a new base was established,” said the second military source, who gave a
similar death toll.

“Troops
were just setting up and the excavator operator was working to fortify the base
with trenches against attack from the terrorists when the attack happened,”
said the officer.

The
Nigerian army did not respond to to requests for comment.

Nigeria’s
National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Thursday confirmed in a
statement that a staff member, an excavator operator attached to the military,
“was killed by Boko Haram yesterday in Damasak, Borno state”.

Boko
Haram no longer controls swathes of territory in northeast Nigeria as it did at
the height of its insurgency in 2014, yet the Islamist militants still pose a
threat to the impoverished region.

Nigerian
President Muhammadu Buhari has insisted that the Islamists are a spent force as
he gears up for elections next year.

In
an interview with Nigerian press published on Thursday, Buhari’s information
minister Lai Mohammed said “we promised to fight insecurity...despite what
anybody says, we have decimated Boko Haram”.

Six
months away from presidential polls, Buhari is under pressure to defend his
track record as he battles insecurity across Nigeria, Africa’s most populous
country.

BAMAKO
- Eleven Fulani civilians were kidnapped and killed in the latest bout of
ethnic violence to hit Mali, local groups said Thursday, while an official put
the toll at 14.

The
attack, which occurred in the restive central region of Mopti on Tuesday, was
attributed to hunters from the Dogon community.

"11
Fulani civilians were kidnapped on Tuesday by the Bani river as they were going
to the market in Sofara by Dogon militiamen who arrived on motorbikes,"
Abdoul Aziz Diallo, who heads the country's main Fulani association Tabital
Pulaaku, told AFP. "Today, we got proof that they were executed," he
added.

Ousmane
Cisse, a member of Tabital Pulaaku Africa, another Fulani association,
confirmed the account. Violence between nomadic Fulani herders and Bambara and
Dogon farmers has escalated in central Mali over the past three years, fuelled
by accusations that the Fulanis are colluding with jihadists.

More
than 300 civilians have died in ethnic clashes since the start of the year,
according to UN figures and an AFP toll.

A
local elected official, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, estimated
the death toll from Tuesday's incident was 14 - married men "who were
kidnapped and murdered in cold blood."

Apart
from the 11 people who were kidnapped, four other Fulani civilians were seized
later, the official said.

"One
of them managed to escape by pretending to be dead. He is injured and is the
one who got the information out," the official said.

The
victims' families received on Wednesday evening "pieces of clothing"
belonging to the dead, to allow them to organise mourning ceremonies.

In
July, armed men - also described as Dogon hunters - killed 17 Fulani civilians
in the central Mali village of Somena, according to Fulani representatives.

Mali's
unrest stems from a 2012 Tuareg separatist uprising which was exploited by
jihadists in order to take over key cities in the north.

The
extremists were largely driven out in a French-led military operation launched
in January 2013. But large stretches of the country remain out of the control
of Malian, French and UN forces, which are frequent targets of attacks.

Boko
Haram undefeated because of corruption in FG, military – Ribadu explodes

August
10, 2018

By
Wale Odunsi

Former
Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu,
says corruption in the federal government and the Nigerian military is the
reason the Boko Haram insurgency has not been totally crushed.

He
stated this in Abuja on Thursday at the public presentation of the 47-page
first year report of the Corruption Anonymous (CORA), a project by the African
Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL).

“The
whistle-blower policy is new and evolving. There are issues and grey areas that
need to be addressed to arrive at a more robust document”, Daily Trust quoted
the former Police officer as saying.

“The
back-end of the public interface platform needs serious tightening to make it
fool-proof and ensure that it is not compromised.

“Those
who volunteer information need to be sure of their security and
confidentiality. Whistle-blowers also need absolute protection from retaliation
and redress from undue harassment.

“We
need to stop this corruption and use the resources we have maximally to address
the problems in our nation; if not, we will continue to be in problems.

“This
will continue for years and we will give our children, they will inherit
failure; the only way to stop it is if we stop stealing and taking public
money.

“Why
are the military in other parts of the world succeeding? Why are we not? Why
should we allow our own insurgency to linger for 10 years?